Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an gCeannaire ar ais, agus déanaim comhghairdeas léi as a pósadh.

I extend sympathies to Randa Musa and her family after the death on hunger strike of her husband, Khader Adnan. Khader is the victim of the punitive occupation and apartheid Israeli regime. Khader was interned 12 times under so-called administrative detention and spent a total of eight of those years imprisoned. His only option to resist the injustice of apartheid Israel was to protest using his body, something familiar to us in Ireland's long struggle for freedom. As we approach Bobby Sands's anniversary on 5 May, we call on the Irish State and the international community as a whole to act. Gaza is once again under Israeli bombardment. On this World Press Freedom Day, as has been mentioned, we remember Shireen Abu Akleh, murdered by Israel while shining a light on the reality of a brutal apartheid regime. I have asked several times for statements on Palestine and what the Irish Government is doing at an international, an EU and a UN level to hold apartheid Israel to account for its illegality. That is not too much to ask. I want, as I am sure other colleagues across the House do, the opportunity to raise these issues with the Irish Government to show solidarity with the people of Palestine and to support all efforts and all moves towards peace and justice for all.

The second issue I wish to raise is to call for the publication - without delay, I hope - of the all-Ireland rail review. I know, given the importance of the western rail corridor, that this is something that will interest the Leader as well. I accept fully that, given the refusal of one party to re-establish the institutions in the North, the Department there is unable to publish the review. Nevertheless, I do not think that should hold back the important work needed to improve and to restitch Ireland, to address the historic neglect of the west and the north west, to address head-on the scars and amputations to the infrastructure there caused by partition and, as I said, to restitch the whole country, with all the economic and societal benefits that go along with that.I would welcome the publication of that report without delay. I engaged with the shared island unit on this very issue at last week's meeting of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. The Government needs to act speedily on this. In light of that, it would be appropriate to have statements on our all-Ireland rail network and transport connectivity.